Conventionally, tollbooths are used to collect tolls on certain roadways, for example, highways, freeways, etc., also known as “toll-roads”. When using tollbooths, cars are required to stop to make a payment, which subsequently slows down traffic and often leads to traffic jams, for example, on more heavily traveled roadways.
Recently, automated toll collecting systems, which use radio frequency (RF) tags have been introduced. In automated toll collecting systems, the RF tags may be used in transactions involving motor vehicles. When an RF tag is employed for toll collection, a vehicle may pass through a toll lane with out coming to a complete stop to make a payment.
An RF tag is a passive device that is preprogrammed with specific information. For vehicle applications, the RF tag is typically programmed with an account number for an authorized traveler, user, etc. The account number in turn may be associated with the traveler's address, phone number, vehicle model, license plate number, credit card account, etc.
Affiliating the RF tag with a customer's credit card account provides a billing authority or toll collection agency a way of billing the traveler for accrued toll charges. In addition, using the credit card account ensures that the billing authority is immediately paid each time the traveler incurs a toll charge using the RF tag.
These systems require the use of tollbooths for charging pre-paid debit cards and require users to purchase RFID devices in order to utilize the automated toll collecting systems. As such, these automated toll collection systems may incur substantial implementation and/or utilization costs (e.g., tollbooth installation and/or purchase of RFID devices, respectively).